Pac-12 Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal

Jesse Zarzuela – 6’3 Guard – Oregon Ducks

Jesse Zarzuela is a combo guard with the potential to boost the Oregon Ducks’ backcourt as a transfer addition. He spent the past year in the MAC with the Central Michigan Chippewas and has had quite the journey already since graduating high school.

He joins the Ducks in the Pac-12 with a plethora of experience on the JUCO stage as well as the Conference USA, MAC and MEAC stages. He began his career with the UTEP Miners back in 2019-20 before heading to Navarro Junior College and Missouri State-West Plains from 2019-21. He attended Coppin State during the 2021-22 season before landing at Central Michigan in 2022-23.

This past season, he had his best overall outing, though it came in just 17 appearances for the Chippewas. He put up 16.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, and 2.7 apg while shooting 35.6 percent shooting from deep and 39.9 percent from the field, mainly as a reserve. He started in just 11 of his 17 appearances as a senior.

Zarzuela has shown he can compete against high-major talent already. He’s a smooth operator at the guard spot that can find his own offense and knock down tough shots. He opened the season with 17 points and two assists on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc and 6-of-11 shooting from the field against Marquette on the road back on Nov. 10.

He set his career-high in scoring back on Jan. 14 off the bench with 29 points, four assists and four rebounds on 8-for-16 shooting from the floor and 3-of-8 shooting from deep in an overtime victory over Buffalo.

At worst, he’ll give the Ducks a veteran presence that’s capable of operating at either guard role off the bench. He’s shown he’s capable of knocking down shots on the perimeter and can make plays for others off the bounce in space as well. With a few guards returning for Oregon and some youth in the fold to acclimate, he’s a graduate transfer that could find himself in a coveted Sixth Man role as he joins the Pac-12.